This research was supported by NIMH grant 1R03MH079019 to Amori Mikami and a Jefferson Graduate Research Fellowship from the Jefferson Scholars Foundation to Matthew D. Lerner.
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Research Article
Preliminary Evaluation of an Observational Measure of Group Cohesion for Group Psychotherapy
Article first published online: 26 OCT 2012
DOI: 10.1002/jclp.21933
© 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Additional Information
How to Cite
Lerner, M. D., McLeod, B. D. and Mikami, A. Y. (2013), Preliminary Evaluation of an Observational Measure of Group Cohesion for Group Psychotherapy. J. Clin. Psychol., 69: 191–208. doi: 10.1002/jclp.21933
We would like to thank the children, parents, and teachers who participated, and the schools and doctors who provided referrals for this study. We are grateful to the graduate students who served as therapists on this project, as well as to the undergraduate coders who committed many hours to collecting the alliance data.
Publication History
- Issue published online: 5 FEB 2013
- Article first published online: 26 OCT 2012
Funded by
- NIMH. Grant Number: 1R03MH079019
- Jefferson Scholars Foundation
- Abstract
- Article
- References
- Cited By
Keywords:
- psychotherapy research;
- group treatment;
- measurement;
- alliance;
- group cohesion;
- ADHD
Objective
Group psychotherapy research would benefit from an observational measure of group cohesion to complement existing self-report measures. This study introduces the Therapy Process Observational Coding System-Group Cohesion scale (TPOCS-GC), which observationally assesses cohesion between each member and the group.
Method
In total 27 parents participated in a group parent-training social competency intervention for children with attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder. Independent coders double-coded group cohesion and the alliance in 144 client-sessions. Parents, teachers, and children completed cognitive, behavioral, and therapy participation measures.
Results
The TPOCS-GC demonstrated modest to strong item-level interrater reliability and acceptable internal consistency. Group cohesion evidenced moderate stability over the course of treatment. Relations between TPOCS-GC and theoretically linked and unrelated variables provided some evidence for construct and predictive validity.
Conclusions
This preliminary study suggests that the TPOCS-GC is a reliable instrument that may help fill an instrumentation gap in the field.